What is the difference between Sixth Form and Year 11?
Sixth Form is a step up from Year 11 in terms of independence and responsibility. You’ll study fewer subjects in greater depth, manage your own time more effectively, and be expected to take greater ownership of your learning.
What help will I get in applying for university?
At WHGS, we have a robust programme of support in place for these students who will require specialist knowledge and advice in order to make a competitive application. Leading the programme, we have a dedicated member of staff who can provide individual support for each student. This is a huge advantage, because this person will get to know you well over time and tailor the support you receive to your own personal requirements.
We are also part of the Cambridge HE+ Outreach Programme and can offer residential Oxbridge visits and academic connections. In addition, we have excellent connections with Nuffield Research Placements, Sutton Trust, Social Mobility Foundation, Manchester Medical School and with several other very useful organisations who offer fantastic development opportunities for our students to enable them to make the best possible application they can in a very competitive environment.
The vast majority of our students progress to Higher Education and many are successful at achieving places at Oxford and Cambridge as well as Russell Group universities such as Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield.
Although some of our students choose to study at the exceptional establishments in Manchester including The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and The Royal Northern College of Music, many of our students choose to go further afield.
In the past few years students have been successful at gaining places at London School of Economics (LSE), The University of Birmingham, Arts University Bournemouth and The University of York.
We are privileged to offer a range of options that allow our students to go on to study career-defining courses at university. Students in the past few years have pursued Law, Medicine, Accountancy, Dentistry, Management, Engineering, Pharmacy, Optometry and Economics.
What are the class sizes like in Sixth Form?
At WHGS, you can expect to be in classes that are smaller than Sixth Form colleges, thus receiving personalised and adaptive teaching from subject teachers. In addition to this, most subjects provide after school support sessions to enhance learning.
Will I have study periods in Sixth Form?
Yes, you’ll have designated study periods on your timetable. These are independent learning sessions where you’re expected to use your time productively to complete assignments, revise, or prepare for lessons.
What kind of support is available in Sixth Form?
Alongside support from teaching staff, we run an Academic Mentoring scheme that allows students to work with fellow Sixth Form students in a less formal setting.
We take our responsibility of providing the best educational experience for our Sixth Form students very seriously, and part of that is monitoring the academic performance of individual students. This is done regularly and involves collaboration with teaching staff and, where necessary, parents or carers.
As well as Form Tutors, there is a Deputy Head of Sixth Form and two Heads of Year with specific responsibility for providing academic and pastoral support for students. This is available in an encouraging and supportive atmosphere that is designed to get the best out of our students.
What leadership opportunities are available in Sixth Form?
All Sixth Form students are invited to apply for the positions of Heads of School and Prefects. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to develop leadership and other essential skills. Heads of School and Prefects are given significant responsibility within the school.
Sixth Form students have the chance to develop and demonstrate so-called soft skills, such as empathy and patience through our peer mentoring programme. This enables them to give something back to the school and have a real impact on the lives of our younger students.
As we are a 3 - 18 school, we are very lucky to have a Primary Phase on site that enables Sixth Form students to further develop their skills by offering in-class support to primary teachers. Furthermore, we also run a reading support scheme, whereby Sixth Form students help develop the literacy skills of Year 7 transition students.